U.S. patent application number 11/336116 was filed with the patent office on 2006-07-27 for recyclable rubber surface covering.
Invention is credited to Arthur B. III Dodge.
Application Number | 20060165950 11/336116 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36697128 |
Filed Date | 2006-07-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060165950 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dodge; Arthur B. III |
July 27, 2006 |
Recyclable rubber surface covering
Abstract
A surface covering is provided, comprising a substrate with a
flocking layer adhered to the substrate by an adhesive. The
substrate is formed at least partially from granulated recycled
rubber and a binding agent. In an exemplary embodiment, a design is
applied to the flocking layer.
Inventors: |
Dodge; Arthur B. III;
(Lancaster, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BARLEY SNYDER, LLC
1000 WESTLAKES DRIVE, SUITE 275
BERWYN
PA
19312
US
|
Family ID: |
36697128 |
Appl. No.: |
11/336116 |
Filed: |
January 20, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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60645834 |
Jan 21, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
428/90 ; 264/109;
264/118; 264/123; 427/180 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B32B 2264/0207 20130101;
B60R 13/083 20130101; B32B 7/12 20130101; D04H 11/00 20130101; B32B
2605/003 20130101; B32B 27/14 20130101; B32B 2260/025 20130101;
D06P 5/004 20130101; B32B 2307/716 20130101; B32B 2260/046
20130101; B32B 5/16 20130101; B32B 27/308 20130101; B32B 2250/03
20130101; Y10T 428/23943 20150401; B32B 2307/102 20130101; B32B
27/12 20130101; B32B 2471/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
428/090 ;
427/180; 264/109; 264/118; 264/123 |
International
Class: |
B05D 1/16 20060101
B05D001/16; B29C 67/24 20060101 B29C067/24; B05D 1/14 20060101
B05D001/14; B29C 67/02 20060101 B29C067/02 |
Claims
1. A surface covering, comprising: a substrate formed at least
partially from granulated recycled rubber and a binding agent; and
a flocking layer adhered to the substrate with an adhesive.
2. The surface covering of claim 1, wherein the binding agent is
urethane.
3. The surface covering of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is an
acrylic adhesive
4. The surface covering of claim 1, wherein the substrate is shaved
from a cylindrical billet of granulated recycled rubber.
5. The surface covering of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises
granulated recycled rubber from recycled surface covering.
6. The surface covering of claim 5, wherein the substrate further
comprises granulated recycled rubber from other sources.
7. The surface covering of claim 5, wherein the substrate comprises
at least 10 wt-% of reground rubber from recycled surface
covering.
8. The surface covering of claim 1, wherein a decorative design is
formed on the flocking layer.
9. The surface covering of claim 8, wherein the decorative design
is formed using a dye sublimation process.
10. A method for recycling a surface covering comprising flocking
adhered to a granulated recycled rubber substrate, comprising the
steps of: grinding used surface covering to form granulated
recycled rubber; mixing the granulated recycled rubber with a
binder; compressing the mixture of ground rubber and binder to form
a billet; shaving a continuous substrate off of the billet; and
flocking the substrate.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the binder is polyurethane.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of flocking the
substrate includes applying adhesive to the substrate and
introducing fibers to the adhesive.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises,
prior to the step of mixing the granulated recycled rubber, the
step of: removing flocking material from the granulated recycled
rubber.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the flocking material is
removed using a vacuum.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a surface covering and more
particularly to a decorative surface covering that is
recyclable.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Floor coverings are widely used to provide aesthetic appeal
and also to provide acoustic properties suitable for the
environment in which they are used.
[0003] Over 5 billion square feet of carpet is installed in North
America each year, and presently, roughly an equivalent amount
requires disposal. Typically, this discarded carpet is placed in
landfills. In 2002, members of the carpet industry and government
representatives at the federal, state and local levels sanctioned
the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), which has a goal of
reducing by forty percent (40%), the amount of carpet that is
disposed of in the nation's landfills by the year 2012. To
accomplish this goal, ways are being sought to encourage recycling
used carpet.
[0004] Presently, less than one percent (1%) of discarded carpet is
recycled each year. This low rate of recycling is due, in part, to
the fact that traditional carpet products consist of dissimilar
materials. For example, nylon fibers may be knitted or woven into a
matrix with a urethane or latex backing. It is generally
undesirable in making new products from recycled material to
commingle materials such as nylon from carpet fibers with urethane
or latex from carpet backings. Hence, in addition to logistical and
contamination concerns, a fundamental problem with carpet recycling
is that the fibers and backing cannot be commingled. For this
reason, it is presently impossible to produce new carpet from old
carpet.
[0005] Poor acoustic properties are extremely undesirable in
residential and office structures, as the occupants of one floor do
not want to be disturbed by the occupants of the floor above. Sound
that is transmitted through the building structure (impact sound)
can be particularly troublesome in multiple-floor buildings. In
fact, standards have been developed and modified to insure that
sound is not transmitted. The ASTM Impact Sound related tests are
E492-90 and E989-89. Where noise codes exist, generally IIC50 is
specified.
[0006] Woven and knitted carpets are well suited to absorbing
impact sound and are widely used as floor coverings in office and
residential environments. These carpets, however, have several
disadvantages. Disposal of worn or soiled carpets can be
problematic, both from an environmental and from a cost
perspective. Also, providing a wide variety of patterns and
particularly custom patterns can be costly.
[0007] One alternative to woven and knitted carpets is a flocked
floor covering. Existing flocked floor coverings comprise nylon
fibers electrostatically flocked onto a poly vinyl chloride (PVC)
backing. A glass fiber layer is added between the PVC backing and
the flocking to provide dimensional stability. The flocked floor
covering is screen printed to provide a wide range of patterns and
colors. This floor covering suffers from several disadvantages. PVC
is not recyclable and is a hazardous material, causing handling and
disposal problems. Also, the need for a glass fiber layer increases
manufacturing complexity and cost and adds to the products
non-recyclability.
[0008] Accordingly, a need exists for a floor covering which
provides desirable functionality, acoustic properties and pattern
versatility and which can be recycled into new surface covering
and/or other recycled materials.
SUMMARY
[0009] A surface covering is provided, comprising a substrate with
a flocking layer adhered to the substrate by an adhesive. The
substrate is formed from granulated rubber and a binding agent,
with at least a portion of the granulated rubber being recycled
from used surface covering. In a preferred exemplary embodiment, a
design is applied to the flocking layer. A method for forming the
surface covering is also provided, which includes grinding worn or
soiled surface covering, and forming the substrate using granulated
recycled floor covering mixed with a binder.
[0010] The surface covering, which may be used on floors, walls,
and vehicle interiors, provides good acoustic properties,
durability, is recyclable, and uses recycled rubber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, of
which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a surface covering according
to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a manufacturing sequence for forming a surface
covering using recycled product according to an exemplary
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)
[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, a surface covering 1 according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises a substrate
10 formed from granulated rubber 12 and a binder 18 with a flocking
layer 20 adhered to the substrate by an adhesive 30.
[0015] In an exemplary embodiment, the granulated rubber 12 is a
combination of granulated recycled rubber from recycled surface
covering 14 and granulated recycled rubber from other sources 16,
such as tires, for example. In an exemplary preferred embodiment,
the granulated rubber 12 comprises Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR).
Alternatively, the granulated rubber 12 may comprise other forms,
such Ethylene Propylene Diomene Monomer (EDPM) or natural rubber.
Virgin rubber in various forms may also be added in granulated
form, but is not required to practice the invention. In an
exemplary preferred embodiment, the substrate 10 comprises at least
10 wt-% of granulated recycled rubber from recycled surface
covering 14. The granulated rubber 12 may vary in particle size
according to the desired porosity and resulting impact sound
absorption properties of the finished substrate 10. In an exemplary
embodiment, the grain size may vary between about 0.5 mm and 3.0
mm.
[0016] The granulated rubber 12 is combined with a binder 18, and
compressed at ambient temperature to form a billet of recycled
rubber (not shown). The substrate 10 is formed from the billet. In
an exemplary embodiment, the billet is cylindrical in shape, and is
shaved by rotating the cylindrical billet while introducing a blade
against the billet to form a continuous substrate 10 that is
flexible enough to be rolled and provides desirable void
distribution. The substrate 10 has good dimensional stability, and
provides good impact sound properties. In an exemplary embodiment,
the binder 18 is polyurethane, which is added to the granulated
rubber 12 as a foam and is set or cured by applying pressure.
[0017] An adhesive layer 30 is applied to a front face of the
substrate 10, and a flocking layer 20 is adhered to the substrate
10 by the adhesive layer 30. The adhesive may be any adhesive
suitable for adhering fibers of the flocking layer 20 to a rubber
substrate. For example, polymeric adhesives, such as urethane
adhesives, latex adhesives, and particularly acrylic adhesives, are
well suited for use in the present invention. In an exemplary
embodiment, the flocking layer comprises fibers 22, which are made
using a polymeric material, such as nylon. The quantity, length,
and denier of the fibers may vary depending upon the application,
and are selected to provide the desired look and feel of the
covering. The fibers 22 may be applied to the adhesive using any
known flocking technique suitable for the fibers 22 and adhesive
selected. In an exemplary embodiment, the fiber density is between
about 200 and 300 grams per square yard, and the fiber length is
between about 2.0 mm and 3.0 mm.
[0018] A decorative design may be formed on the flocking layer 20,
to enhance the aesthetic quality of the surface covering. In an
exemplary embodiment, the design may be formed by a screen printing
process, wherein ink is applied to the surface of the fibers 22 in
the flocking layer at locations corresponding to the desired
design.
[0019] In an alternate embodiment, a dye sublimation process is
used to apply the decorative design, wherein the dye is printed
onto a transfer medium, then the transfer medium is placed against
the surface of the flocking layer 20 and heat is applied. The heat
converts the dye to a gaseous state and opens pores in the fibers
22 allowing the ink to penetrate the surface of the fibers 22. The
dye sublimation process provides a design that is more durable than
a design printed onto the surface of the fibers 22.
[0020] To facilitate handling and installation, the surface
covering 1 may be provided in tiles or continuous sheets. Moreover,
the continuous sheets may be rolled. In the case of rolled
continuous sheets, the surface covering 1 may be transported to the
installation site in the rolled form. The surface covering 1 can
then be unrolled and applied to the desired surface at the
installation site. Depending upon the size of the surface to be
covered, multiple continuous sheets of the surface covering 1 may
need to be applied adjacent one another, aligning the pattern as
required. The surface covering 1 may be applied by taping it with
double faced carpet tape or by gluing it with releasable or other
forms of carpet adhesive.
[0021] While the surface covering 1 is well suited to use on
residential and/or office floors to provide impact sound
absorption, the surface covering 1 of the present invention is
relatively thin and inexpensive, while providing good sound
properties, and therefore may also be utilized in vehicles as
interior trim or even as a wall covering.
[0022] An advantage of the present invention is that the surface
covering 1 can be recycled, and accordingly, the surface covering
can comprise recycled material, including recycled surface
covering.
[0023] Next, a method for making a surface covering according to an
exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, when the surface covering becomes worn
or soiled, it can be removed and ground to form granulated recycled
surface covering 14 (step 101). The surface covering may, for
example, be ground using grinding equipment available for grinding
tires for recycling. In an exemplary embodiment, at least some of
the flocking is removed using a vacuum system (step 102), which may
be a dust collection system that is used to remove tire cord when
tires are ground for recycling.
[0025] The granulated surface covering may be combined with
granulated rubber from other sources (step 103). The granulated
rubber from other sources may be recycled granulated rubber, such
as from tires, or may be virgin granulated rubber, or a combination
of the two. The granulated rubber mixture is combined with a binder
18 (step 104) and pressure is applied (step 105) to set or cure the
granulated rubber and binder mixture. The binder 18 is preferably
polyurethane foam. The container may be a cylindrical container,
thereby forming a cylindrical recycled rubber billet comprising
granulated recycled rubber and binder.
[0026] Next, a continuous sheet of recycled rubber substrate 10 is
formed (step 106) by rotating the cylindrical recycled rubber
billet and introducing a blade at the outside surface of the
billet. The blade is biased into the billet to shave off a
continuous layer of the billet.
[0027] An adhesive is applied to the continuous sheet of recycled
rubber substrate 10 (step 107). The adhesive, as previously
described may be one of a variety of polymeric adhesives, with an
acrylic adhesive being particularly suited for use in the
invention. The adhesive is applied to the front or face surface of
the substrate 10, only.
[0028] Next, fibers 22 are introduced onto the adhesive using any
known flocking process, including but not limited to electrostatic
flocking to form a continuous sheet of surface covering (step 108).
The continuous sheet of surface covering may optionally be rolled
onto a web to form a roll of surface covering (step 109).
[0029] A design may optionally be applied to the fibers 22 of the
surface covering to provide an aesthetic appearance (step 110). The
design may be applied using a screen printing technique, or
alternatively may be applied using a dye sublimation process,
wherein dye is first printed onto a transfer sheet, then the
transfer sheet is disposed against the fibers 22 and heat is
applied.
[0030] The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for
practicing the invention. Many other embodiments are possible
within the scope and spirit of the invention. It is, therefore,
intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative
rather than limiting, and that the scope of the invention is given
by the appended claims together with their full range of
equivalents.
* * * * *